Unforeseen
by TheWalkingDeathEater
Summary: September 1st, 1976. The scarlet of the Hogwarts Express is the same colour as Lily Evans' hair as she boards for her sixth year of Hogwarts. Elsewhere in the castle, a Slytherin clad in green, silver and shadows plots to give Lord Voldemort the upper hand in the war. Lives clash, and Lily finds her best friend caught in the crossfire.
1. September

**September**

The violent breeze of Autumn threatened to slow down the Evans family as they piled into their car on the 1st September, 1976. A blonde woman in an oddly patterned kaftan threw a trunk into the boot of a Morris Marina, her husband's prized possession. He was sat in the driver's seat, his fingers tapped the steering wheel impatiently. He stopped for a moment to look up into the top left window of the house, and flinched when he made eye contact with the sour faced girl glaring into the garden below. To the neighbours and the outside world, the Evans family looked rather normal. And truthfully, most of them were.

Except for their youngest daughter.

Lily hauled her cat-cage into the garden, stopping to look behind her. Inside the doorway stood her sister's walrus of a boyfriend, Vernon. He'd grown a rather scraggly moustache while she had been at Hogwarts, and it wiggled in the wind. Lily fought back the urge to laugh (or vomit) and continued up to the car. Her cat, Bobbins, looked rather annoyed when she strapped the cage into the seat and slid in after him.

"Are you forgetting something?" Her father asked. Lily sat, and thought about what she could possibly be forgetting. She had her trunk in the boot, Bobbins was next to her, and her robes were in a plastic bag on her lap. What else could she possibly-

Her wand! Cripes, how could she have forgotten it? Her father chuckled as she dashed back into the house and past Vernon to retrieve her wand from her room. Petunia was sat on the other bed, combing her fingers through her damp hair. She paused to glare at her sister, and then went back to grooming herself.

Lily's relationship with her sister was most definitely a rocky one. Petunia would accuse Lily of using magic to steal her hairbrush or something, and then they would fight until Petunia eventually found whatever she'd lost, usually in the exact same place she had left it.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Petunia snapped. Lily rolled her eyes, but answered her sister as nicely as possible.

"I left my wand. Sorry for disturbing your special ritual."

"Hmmph. Vernon and I are going to this new cafe just outside of Cokeworth. It's got this really ace garden you can smoke in-"

"If Mum finds out you've been smoking-"

"She won't. And you're not going to tell her, are you?" For a moment, Lily really considered it. But she was already at odds with Petunia, and making her angrier wasn't a good idea.

If they were anywhere but their hometown, nobody would guess that they were sisters. Petunia had their mother's blonde hair, and she'd recently gotten it cut and styled to look just like Farrah Fawcett after watching 'Logan's Run'. Her eyes were a pale blue and beady, seemingly prying into your business, even when Petunia didn't mean to. Lily, on the other hand, had green eyes, and a mane of dark red hair that she let tumble down her back.

"Whatever, Petunia. I'm going now, goodbye" Lily called over her shoulder, Petunia said nothing, and turned her back to the door as Lily left.

"You okay, Lils?" Her mum asked. Lily nodded and slammed the car door shut. She could see Petunia glowering at her from the bedroom window. Lily's mum got into the front passenger seat and pushed a pair of sunglasses up on her head. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for Severus?"

Ouch. Lily felt that classic Gryffindor fire burn through her lungs. "I'm very sure, Mum." She replied coldly. Rosalie Evans exchanged a worried look with her husband, Harold, but never said a word. Harold started the car and drove away from the house. It would be a long drive to Kings Cross. To make the journey seem shorter, her Mum turned on the radio. Lily was forced to sit in the back as her parents belted out to Bob Dylan songs at the top of their lungs, badly. Every so often her dad's head would bob from side to side. Bobbins hissed after they went over a speedbump.

"Dad, slow down. Bobbins is rocking all over."

"Bobbins needs to cool down. I've got scratches all over my arms again." Lily had pried her cat from her father far too many times now, it was just better if they stayed away from each other. "And we're here! Kings Cross, m'lady." Her dad jogged to the car boot and began to drag her trunk towards the platform. He narrowly avoided backing into the heels of a haughty looking Muggle with an orange tan and a pantsuit. He ignored her irritated growl in his direction and pointed towards the barrier. "Look who's waiting, kiddo."

A dark haired girl was sat against the wall, her wand was tucked behind her ear. She was chewing gum. Heavy eyeliner had been smeared underneath her eyes, her hair was wild and a little greasy. Dorcas noticed Lily's mum first.

"Oh, Dorcas, hey. Nice boots." If Petunia had been there, she would have made a snide remark about punks, and how stupid Dorcas looked. But Petunia hadn't come with them for years, and that wouldn't change now.

"Thanks. Lils, you want me to take Bobbins?"

"Where's all your stuff?"

"Already on board. Marlene found us a compartment, if we can get there before Fiona and Octavia." The other two girls in Gryffindor. Fiona Donaldson was mild mannered, if a little bossy. Octavia Harrow, on the other hand, should have been a Slytherin. She was fairly ambitious, and quite cunning, but had practically begged the Sorting Hat for Gryffindor to please her mother. Lily would have pitied her if Octavia wasn't so self-entitled.

"Here." Rosalie handed Bobbins' cage to Dorcas. Lily and her friend stopped outside the barrier so Lily could say goodbye to her parents. Harold trapped her in a tight hug, and Rosalie gave her a kiss on the cheek. As she pulled away, her Mum whispered "I can't believe you're leaving me with your sister." A joke that would be kept between Lily and her mum. Petunia was living with Vernon now, they'd moved onto a little flat. Lily's parents were secretly saving up to buy a house in Surrey for them, as far away from their home as possible.

Lily smiled at Dorcas, took a deep breath, and marched through the barrier. The whistle of the steam engine was the first delightful sound she heard on Platform 9 and 3/4. The sound made her feel at home, like she'd never been away from Hogwarts. Through the sea of students, both new and old, she spotted several face she recognised. A chubby faced girl stood with a boy and his mother, who sported green robes and a bright red handbag. A gang of haughty looking witches and wizards in green and silver; she knew them by their surnames. She glanced away when one locked eyes with her, his long hair fell into his dark eyes.

On the other side of the platform was a family with two sons, one in green and silver, the other had a red and gold tie hanging from his pocket. His top buttons were undone. Green eyes met grey, and Lily snorted in disgust and brushed through the crowds. She knew him far too well.

"The train won't be as packed this year." Dorcas added solemnly. "You-Know-Who and his followers are getting more and more violent. They attacked eight muggleborn families in the last two months." As fierce and stubborn as Dorcas was, she was as scared of the ongoing war as everyone else. "It's wack, man. In my opinion, if you have magic, you have magic. Your blood shouldn't matter." It meant a lot to Lily, especially coming from a Pureblood like Dorcas. Marlene, Octavia and Alice were also Purebloods. Fiona was a half-blood, whilst Mary and Lily were muggleborn students, and likely targets.

The fact that almost half of Lily's friends could be killed, including herself, was a heavy weight on her shoulders.

They dragged the Lily's things up and down the train to find Marlene. She wasn't too hard to spot; her mane of blonde hair had yet to be seen perm-less.

"Lily!" She bounced up and clutched Lily tightly, her nails threatening to break the skin. "You're here later than usual. I managed to score this ace compartment,it's right at the back, so we can avoid the crowds of firsties."

"Firsties? God, that is such a Sirius thing to say." Marlene went red, but didn't argue back. It was clear who she'd spent her summer with. Lily was amazed that her best friend could be so stupid. Sirius Black was- to put it plainly- a wanker. He and Marlene had been messing around since the middle of fifth year. As a Prefect, she'd been forced to report them more than once for smoking, getting high, and being found in broom closets together. She hoped Remus had also done the same, but he would likely have wilted under the pressure of reporting one of his fellow 'Marauders'.

Ugh, she hated them all. Well, not quite. Remus was okay, and Peter lived very close to Cokeworth, so she had to remain civil. But Black and Potter were prats.

"Are we sitting down or..." Dorcas slid past Lily and Marlene and flopped into the seat next to their other friend, Mary. She was deep into a book, only the top of her head was visible. "Earth to Mary." The tiny girl's head popped out of her book and grinned at the other three.

"Hey, I missed you guys."

"Fooey." Marlene scoffed. "You were having an ace time in America ALL summer."

"You're right, I was."

"Soo..." Marlene leaned forward and pressed her palms into Mary's knees. "Give me the skinny. Did you meet any cute guys?"

"MARLENE!" Lily hissed, pinching her side. She yelped and rubbed the spot, glaring at her.

"Oww, what? I was just asking."

"Uh huh." She didn't have the chance to respond, because the door slid open again to reveal a very flustered Fiona. She hunkered down in the seat next to Dorcas and pulled out a a pumpkin pasty.

"Anybody want some?" She offered it around. The pasty was stale and flaking. Lily turned her down politely, wrinkling her nose. Marlene was not as nice.

"It smells rancid. How long have you had it?"

"Not long. I bought it yesterday, but I forgot about it and left it on the table." She pulled up her pet cage and placed it on her lap. "Sorry." Fiona munched on her pasty and pulled a face. "Ugh, you were right." She tore it apart, and fed it to the tiny kitten inside the cage instead. Lily found an elbow dug in her side before she could even begin to point out how idiotic it was to feed the cat a pasty.

"New pet?" Dorcas noted. "I thought you had an owl."

"I did. It died last week."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was dad's owl before it was mine, it just got really old." She explained. Her new kitten was scraggly, and had long white hairs sprouting from its head, giving the appearance of eyebrows.

Octavia and Alice didn't turn up until after the train had left the station. Alice saw that there wouldn't be enough room for both, and she offered to sit with Octavia in another compartment. It left the five of them sitting rather comfortably.

Lily changed into her robes when the sky started to get dark. The Prefect badge pinned to her lapel was shiny, a sign of trust and authority. It would be Lily's job to escorts all the little ones to Gryffindor tower for their first night in Hogwarts.

She thought about what Dorcas had said, about the lack of muggleborn students this year. Lily couldn't imagine all those little kids, their smiling faces, all excited to learn magic and be apart of something amazing. And they would never get here. This war had to end soon. It had to.

"If he walks past here one more time..." Marlene growled. Lily glimpsed a boy in green lined robes disappear up the corridor. "I'm going to hex him so he can't move until Christmas."

"Don't bother. He wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything." Lily replied half-halfheartedly. Truthfully, she'd been ignoring him every time he ghosted past. She wanted nothing to do with him, not anymore.

"I hear he hangs around with all the wannabe Voldemort bootlickers. Mulciber, Avery, Rosier, you name it."

"Didn't picture Rosier as the Death Eater type."

"Neither did I, always thought he was too far up his own arse to follow someone like Voldemort." Dorcas sucked in a breath as Marlene said Voldemort again. All three of the girls opposite Lily and Marlene looked shocked.

Lily wasn't afraid of his name. He held no power here, or at Hogwarts. All he had here were a few teenagers who knew a handful of hexes, and not much else. Even Rosier wasn't smart enough to actually carry out some sort of attack at Hogwarts. Not while Dumbledore was Headmaster. It was rumoured that Voldemort's fear of the older wizard was so great, he'd purposefully forbidden his Death Eaters from attacking a larger amount of students, less Dumbledore decide to battle him face-to-face.

The school was in sight, according to Marlene. She had spotted the lights of the castle from the window. Now that everybody was in their robes, they could just sit back and wait to arrive.

Or they would have, if Peter Pettigrew hadn't thrown open the door to talk to them.

Peter was an unusal case. He was an arrogant prat, and a Marauder. But he was also much easier to talk to without wanting to cave his skull in with 'Hogwarts: A History'. One of his eyes often disturbed people, due to its odd colour. He suffered from a condition called Heterochromia, and so his left eye was mostly brown, with a dash of the same blue as his other eye, the normal one. It didn't stop him from gaining attention from the many girls in their year. Prat.

"Mary." His lilting Irish accent rolled the R. Mary's eyes glittered. They stared at each other for far too long, until the train slowed to a stop. "Would you like to come up to the castle with me?" She nodded, and silently glided alongside him and out of the train.

"Are you kidding me?" Dorcas said. She strolled outside, and Fiona followed after her.

"We'll be going then?" Marlene suggested. Lily and Marlene stepped out into the corridor, and jumped down onto the platform.

"Firs' years!" A loud voice bellowed. "Firs' years this way!" All the children streamed towards the giant man, leaving the path open for the older students to walk down. The carriages stood at the foot of the grounds overlooking the magnificent castle. The first years would arrive by boat, and risk the freezing September waters and the giant squid Alice had affectionately named Kyle.

Two carriages ahead of the girls, Mary was climbing in between Peter and another boy; one with messy black hair, and an ink stain on the back of his collar. Lily tried to burn a hole in the back of his head, but had no such luck. "Dammit. Why can't he just drown in the lake?"

"Wow, got some really twisted thoughts there, Evans." Marlene teased.

"Yeah yeah, let's just get up to the castle."

"I really hope they serve cheesecake this year."

"Me too Marlene, me too."


	2. The Start of Something

**The Start of Something**

As she had every year, Lily felt small beneath the gleaming stars that adorned the faux night sky upon the ceiling of the Great Hall. Each time she walked through this hall, it was like being a first year all over again; she fully expected to be trying the Sorting Hat again.

At the Gryffindor table, it was all anyone could talk about.

"Here come the firsties!" Marlene hissed. A line of petite children streamed through the middle of the House tables and came to a stop in front of the woman who had lead them in. She was tall, with perfectly polished spectacles, a wide brimmed hat, and robes of navy blue. This was a woman who could silence even the rowdiest class, but who also lived and breathed bravery. Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor, faced the relatively small group of students and began to speak,

"When I call you name, you will come to the front of the hall and sit upon this stool," she spoke with a thick Scottish accent, and gestured to the worn three-legged stool. Sat upon the stool was a hat Lily had become familiar with over the years. It's tattered, raggedy appearance was deceiving, as she believed even Dumbledore could be triumphed by the wit of the Sorting Hat.

The Hat's mouth- or rather, tear- opened wide, and a loud, croaky voice began to sing.

"Be you short or tall,

Large or small,

I am the Hat,

That is here to sort you all.

I am here to choose the table,

Where you will be sat,

For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat!

If you are academically able,

Hardworking, wise and smart,

Ravenclaw is where you fit the part.

If you are crafty and sly,

Always willing to reach for the sky,

Slytherin is where your loyalties lie.

If you are friendly, loyal and true,

Forever trying to see your friends through,

Hufflepuff is the house for you.

If you are brave,

And adventure is what you crave,

Then Gryffindor is the home of such a knave.

So put me on and meet your fate,

Make haste; don't be late.

Take care,

And choose your friends if you dare."

The whole student body burst into applause. Dorcas, now free of makeup, leaned over the table and whispered to Lily, "Didn't really have much to say this year."

"Maybe it's trying not to scare them." Lily replied. With the war going on, she could imagine several of the new students were scared to be away from home. She couldn't imagine how her parents would react if she has told them just how bad the war was. She may not have been allowed to return to the school.

McGonagall finished applauding the Hat and pulled out a long piece of parchment containing the names of each student. Clearing her throat, she began.

"Alesi, Herbert." A small boy with brown skin and sharp eyes slowly made his way to the Hat. The entire hall waited quietly, each house hoping their would claim the first new student.

The tear in the Hat opened, and it's final decision was made, "SLYTHERIN!"

Sighs of disappointment erupted around the Gryffindor table as Herbert Alesi moved over to the house of the snakes, who cheered.

"Bugger," Peter said, slapping the table. Mary turned bright red and giggled. "Ah well, there's always the next one." But the next student, Zinnia Anderson, went to Ravenclaw. And the next three (Elphias Bournemouth, Everett Boot, and Rita Connelly) were Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff.

"Elkins, Mia" Lily had high hopes for the next girl. A gasp down the table, followed by excited chattering, alerted her to Rebecca Elkins, an obvious family member.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the entirety of the Gryffindor table began to stomp and clap as their first student of the year was announced. Mia dashed over and squeezed in next to Rebecca. Both girls were beet red and squealing with joy. Lily wondered what it would be like to have family in a house, she could only imagine the pressure. Remus had told her all about Sirius' dilemma on patrol last year. The only Gryffindor in his whole family, and he'd been treat like a black sheep since.

By the time Lily has started listening to the Sorting again, Adelaide Greengrass had just been sorted into Slytherin. She listened intently as the next student was called up.

"Hoffenboffer, Susannah." Marlene, who had just been taking a drink of pumpkin juice, spat the sticky liquid everywhere as she burst into laughter. She quickly reigned herself in, however, when the girl was given a seat in the Lion's house. Susannah Hoffenboffer plopped herself down next to Dorcas and extended her hand to Lily expectantly. Lily returned the favour, to which Susannah shook her hand excitedly.

"Suze, if you please! I noticed you had a Prefect badge on- I hope I'm a Prefect one day. Say, what year do you become a Prefect anyway?" Lily exchanged looks with Marlene. Suze was tall, with big hands, thick brown plaits, and covered in freckles. Already, several students looked irritated with her attitude.

The next four students went fairly easy, with Jason Hooper and Elliot Hughes both entering Ravenclaw, whilst Jenny Lutterworth and William Macmillan earned a spot in Hufflepuff. Ruben McCormac was their newest Gryffindor, but they didn't get another until five students later, just after tiny Sophie Puckle skipped off to Hufflepuff.

"Sloper, Elizabeth."

"GRYFFINDOR!" the call for Gryffindor came three more times, with one girl and two boys Lily didn't listen to. Sorting always took too long. She just wanted to bloody eat, and then go to bed.

The final four alternated between Ravenclaw (Julia Stroulger), Hufflepuff (Eugene Woodage), Ravenclaw (Ryan Yates) and finally Slytherin (Ignatius Yaxley). Both stool and Sorting Hat were put away for the next year, and the hall once again descended into silence as the Headmaster stood.

Clad in sky blue robes decorated with black stars, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, looked exactly like Muggles would expect Wizards to dress. His long white beard, often a symbol people associated with Merlin himself, was tucked into the belt neatly fastened around his waist. Lily noticed a little silver bell had been attached to the buckle, and grinned. Dumbledore was mad, absolutely crackers, but he was still a man she admired like a grandfather.

Professor Dumbledore coughed, opened his arms, and spoke, "I'd very much like to welcome both our old and new students back to Hogwarts. I hope you have all enjoyed your time here so far. Now, there are a few announcements I'd like to make. The first, of course, is addressed to all those in third year or above. Hogsmeade visits will be restricted, monitored, and guarded at all times by both teachers and Prefects from now on," he waited for the loud protests to die down before continuing. "I would also like you all to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Renee Ferryhill."

The new Professor, a frail older woman with greying hair and beady eyes, stood up and cracked a smile at the sea of pupils. Lily hoped she would sit soon; Professor Moore didn't look fit enough to walk on her own, let alone teach entire classes to defend themselves against Dark Creatures.

"Now, as always, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds for any students, no matter how hilarious you think a prank involving centaurs will be," at this, Dumbledore paused his speech to gaze down at four boys sat at the Gryffindor table, attempting to look innocent. Lily felt her blood boil. "I would also like to warn students away from playing by the Whomping Willow, I am afraid Mr Gudgeon's eye will never be the same." several first years glanced at each other in fear. Lily held back a laugh; Davey Gudgeon, the idiot, should have used that Ravenclaw wit of his to realise that the Willow, when hit, would hit back. It was his own fault, though almost losing an eye was a bit extreme. Dumbledore cleared his voice and continued for his final say. "And with that, I'd like to add: Bilgebub, Snorkel, Rabbit and Imp."

Oh, thank Godric, the food was here. Lily had to force herself not to drool as the plates around her filled with the most delicious, heavenly dishes imaginable. Full trays of lasagne, an endless supply of sausages, and boats of gravy. She reminded herself to take it easy, even as she loaded her plate with a mountain of mashed potato.

"God, Evans, where do you put it all?" Black asked her. Lily shrugged and helped herself to green beans, smothered in butter and garlic. "I don't think I've ever seen a bird eat so much."

"Call me a bird, and you'll never see anything ever again." she replied coolly. Black's face cracked, and he began to howl with laughter. Lily felt her ears begin to burn as she watched Black and Pettigrew mock her warning like annoying little children. Even Marlene seemed amused, though anything her on-and-off boyfriend said was funny to her. After Marlene and Black had begun dating, Dorcas had compared their relationship to 'a moth to a candle'. When Black wanted her, Marlene was there. When he didn't want her, she left him alone, but pined after him like a lost puppy. Both denied any actual romantic feelings; it was all about snogging and the occasional rendezvous in a broom closet.

Lily had half expected Potter to also be laughing at her expense. James Potter, prank extraordinaire. Every girl in the school seemed to fawn over his messy hair and hazel eyes, and the way he mucked about with that bloody snitch, even though he wasn't even a Seeker on the team. Yet he only had eyes for one girl. Lily. The only girl he had wanted since third year was also one of the only girls who couldn't stand to be near him. So Lily was more confused than ever to find that James bloody Potter, prank extraordinaire, was ignoring her. She couldn't even recall him looking her way.

The feast disappeared just as Lily was finished off her lamb chops, and stood up to quickly grab Remus. The two of them had already volunteered themselves to guide the first year Gryffindors to their new living quarters.

"Hey, Remus, we gotta go." he nodded, dusting crumbs from his tatty robes. Remus, no matter what time it was, always seemed to look tired. Dark circles were a permanent fixture under his eyes, and his sandy hair often fell in his face when he wrote. Most students usually focused their attention on the very feature he was most ashamed of; three long, jagged scars slashed across his face. Lily had asked Black about them once. she had gotten a gruff "dog attack" as an answer, and nothing more. Back when she had hung around with Sev-Snape, he had always remained apprehensive about the real reason Remus was mauled.

The two sixth-year Prefects shepherded the first years through the trickle of students flooding out through the doors. Every now and then, Lily caught snatches of conversations.

"Do you think my hair would look better like this, or this?-"

"I got a Winnifred Wylump card from my Chocolate Frog yesterday-"

"Come on, Sev, she doesn't want to talk to you-" Lily whipped around to spot a dark haired boy with piercing grey eyes drag his fellow Slytherin down the stairs, where a gang of other students waited, each wearing green and silver. She turned away before any of them could make eye contact and focused a false smile on the new students. There were definitely less than the previous year. Lily didn't want to think about the reason why.

"Gryffindors! Over here please," Remus called out. The children crowded around the bottom of the stairs and looked up at the two Prefects. Lily counted seven students. Four girls and three boys made up the new year of Lions. Right at the very front of the group was Suze Hoffenboffer, who had attached herself to another girl Lily recalled as being Elizabeth Sloper. Both were staring in amazement at the moving staircases. Lily could remember being the same when she had first arrived. The memories of her first year, as well as meeting her friends, filled her with warmth. "Hello, new year! I'm your sixth year Prefect, Remus Lupin. This is my fellow Prefect, Lily Evans," Lily gave an awkward wave to the group of children, who smiled back hesitantly. "Now, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask-"

"How'd you get them scars?" Ruben McCormac questioned. Lily shot him a sharp glare, which silenced the boy. As Remus lead the children up the stairs, he mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Lily.

The students chattered constantly until they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor tower, where the Fat Lady sat waiting. Draped in robes of pale pink, she turned to Remus and asked, "Password?"

"The password at this moment is 'Groovy Shades'," Remus informed the children, several students giggled at the thought of saying 'Groovy Shades' every time they wanted to get in. "the password may change in the future, however." The Fat Lady swung open and allowed the pupils inside. Once within the confines of the Gryffindor Common Room, Lily sighed with relief. Finally, she was at home.

The entire Common Room was adorned with red and gold. Banners were draped across the walls, often blowing in front of several disgruntled portraits. The entire room was packed with students of course; everyone was excited to find out about what their friends had been up to over the holidays. The war was also a conversation on everyone's lips.

Lily found Mary and Dorcas trading Chocolate Frog Cars in the far corner. Both girls had claimed the same armchair and were squished together. Mary had already changed into pajamas.

"Hullo Lily."

"Hey, Mary." Lily perched on the armchair and examined the cards Mary held. There was nothing Lily didn't already have.

"Don't you have Prefect duty, Miss Evans?" Dorcas asked, taking on a mocking tone. Lily rolled her eyes, but replied,

"The seventh years have taken over, thank Merlin, it's a bore." a fifth year student moved from the other armchair, giving Lily full access. She darted over and leaned back, relishing the comfort of being right next to the fireplace. The fire crackling and hissing was one of Lily's favourite things to hear, especially on nights where she was up till three in the morning, usually studying for Transfiguration or Ancient Runes.

The overwhelming feeling of tiredness began to wash over her, and her eyelids suddenly became heavy. Determined to keep herself awake, Lily barely even noticed that the Common Room was emptying of students.

Her eyes snapped open almost hours later, when the scratching of a quill against parchment alerted her to the presence of a lone student. The entire Common Room was empty, except for her and-

And James bloody Potter. Of course. He'd woken her up writing as loudly as possible. Had he been down here this whole time? Oh Merlin, what if he'd pranked her whilst she was asleep. She checked her clothes and hair just in case, but found nothing. No, instead, he was staring at her. That, she was used to.

"Have something to say, Potter?" she snapped at him. Potter didn't reply. Instead, he stood up, gathered his things, and headed for the Boys Dorm. Before climbing the stairs, he stopped and turned to face her. Mischievous hazel eyes met puzzled green ones and for a moment Lily's heart stopped.

"Goodnight, Evans." he said softly. And then he disappeared up the staircase.

Lily sat rooted to the armchair. What the bloody hell had just happened?


End file.
